Today I bought my plane ticket from Chicago to Las Vegas.
The ticket price was $310.50 (roundtrip).
Thanks to an inconvenience I went through on a business trip last year, I had a $50 coupon.
So how did I pay for the remaining $260.50?
I had been planning this for a while.
A new poker room opened in Hammond, Indiana.
It's on the new Horseshoe Casino boat, which boasts the largest poker room in the Chicagoland area.
I took Thursday off of work, with the intention of going to the Casino after work on Wednesday night (and spending a significant amount of time there).
My goal was to play $1 - $2 no limit hold'em (cash game) until I made enough of a profit to fund a plane ticket.
Withdrew $400 in cash from the bank on Tuesday afternoon.
I started playing at 8:30 pm Wednesday Night.
Buying into the game for $200.
I stopped playing at 4:30 am Thursday Morning.
Cashing out of the game for $409.
Deposited $600 in cash Thursday afternoon.
I'm glad to have a positive session.
Regretful that I didn't fully maximize my last large pot of the night.
If I had, I would've been able to fully fund my airfare.
However, the $200 in profit brings the plane ticket down to a manageable $60.50.
As for my accommodations, I've earned $175 in MGM Mirage gift certificates through my Rewards on my Credit Card.
This will cover two nights at one of their mid-tier properties.
(That means I can't afford Bellagio or The Mirage)
So I'll probably stay at Treasure Island or Monte Carlo.
I'm waiting to book the hotel reservation.
Usually, "TI" e-mails me specials.
The next one I get, I'll probably utilize.
Hopefully I'll have some left over to provide me a free meal at one of their restaurants.
On a final note about this trip:
Currently, I'm going alone.
Thankfully, my Louisville trip showed me just how fun a solo-vay-cay can be.
I'm looking forward to the 11 pm Nightly Tournament at Caesars.
I'm looking forward to one of the many morning and afternoon tournaments at TI.
I'm looking forward to watching Bears vs. Packers Monday Night Football at the Wynn Property.
The rest of the time, who knows - it's Vegas.
It will be a bad trip if I wind up reading pool side.
It will be an okay trip if I wind up at the Caesar's blackjack table
It will be a good trip if I wind up at the TI craps table
It will be a great trip if I end up celebrating something at Tangerine
It will be an amazing trip for the ages if I end up celebrating something at Pure.
